Editor's Note: We are republishing this letter to the editor due to an error. We apologize for the error. It is good that our county leaders are seeking sound suggestions for the future growth of our county. It would have been more significant if they had actually accepted and followed through on suggestions in the last five years. ...more

December 27, 2007

It is good that our county leaders are seeking sound suggestions for the future growth of our county. It would have been more significant if they had actually accepted and followed through on suggestions in the last five years. For instance, a number of citizens had pleaded for alternate arterial roads parallel to U.S. 27. There are still no through arterial roads unless you count the Sebring Parkway, which has a number of traffic lights, and is a number of years from completion north of Avon Park. Even the 2025-year bypass from south Sebring will stretch west into Hardee County and come back to U.S. 27 in Polk County. Great concern had been expressed about development in wetlands and flood-plains, to no avail. The recent decision to rebuild State Road 8 at twice the cost, because of the low-lying topography, apparently ignored that concern. Even after the county government bought a number of houses in that area due to flooding, the county commission approved another permit to build in Venus. The fact that some areas in this county are un-developable apparently is not a logical deterrent to development. The issue of conserving water run-off has been in the news recently, and the related agencies have expressed concern about employing a number of measures to achieve that goal. This includes preventing pollution of our lakes. Rain run-off must have a place (wetlands and flood plains) where it can be filtered into the aquifer. ...more

December 21, 2007

The EDGE All Stars from EDGE Cheer Center in Sebring astounded the crowds with their high-flying and solid performances at the Spirit Cheer Tampa Championships held in Lakeland on Nov. 18. This was the first competition of the season for these athletes and all teams came home with top honors in their divisions. Head coach and gym owner, Jenny Rowe, was extremely happy with the performances of her athletes. "These girls and boys train very hard each week and their teamwork and pride in what they do really showed through their performances," she said. "They represented our community very well and I am extremely excited to see what the rest of our season brings for these kids." EDGE Mini All Stars, composed of 12 young ladies ages 5 to 8 from throughout Highlands County, were the first to compete. ...more

December 4, 2007

ARCADIA – The Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association announces Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic, author and renowned public speaker as the keynote speaker of the annual membership meeting. The meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008 at the Hardee County Agri-Civic Center in Wauchula beginning at 6 p.m. Williams is known as one of the top motivational speakers in the country, having spoken to many Fortune 500 companies, as well as for the Billy Graham Crusades and many university campuses. He is the author of an array of inspirational books, The Warrior Within, The Magic of Teamwork, and Coaching Your Kids to be Leaders to name a few. Following seven years of Army service, Williams spent seven years with the Philadelphia Phillies organization and three years with the Minnesota Twins prior to moving to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Since 1968, he has been affiliated with teams in Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, including the 1983 World Champion 76ers. He co-founded the Orlando Magic in 1987, and in 1996 was named as one of the 50 most influential people in NBA history by a national publication. ...more

December 2, 2007

WAUCHULA — Trucker Jean Claude Meus' fight to have his 15-year prison sentence overturned or reduced received a big boost Wednesday afternoon. In a written opinion, Judge Douglas A. Wallace, of the Florida Second District Court of Appeals, suggested that Meus received ineffective counsel during his postconviction trial in 2005 at the Hardee County Courthouse. "(The opinion) was written very precisely," said defense attorney John H. Trevena, of Largo, who represents Meus. "Given its wording, I believe that it will give Mr. Meus an opportunity for a new trial." Meus is currently sitting in a state prison after being convicted of vehicular homicide in 2003 for the much publicized death of Nona Moore, 40, and her 8-year-old daughter Lindsey. The accident happened in 2001. During Meus' criminal trial, prosecutors said that he fell asleep at the wheel of his tractor-trailer, driving through a stop sign and eventually overturning his vehicle onto Moore's van at Seven Mile Point, just outside of Wauchula. Prosecutors maintained that Meus fell asleep shortly before the accident, but Meus maintained throughout his trial that a vehicle had cut him off, forcing him to swerve into Moore's van. ...more

November 30, 2007

WAUCHULA — Jury selection for the trial of former Zolfo Springs Police Chief David Scheid will begin on Feb. 11, 2008 at the Hardee County Courthouse. Scheid is facing charges of grand theft, tampering with a witness, fabricating physical evidence and petty theft. Scheid had a trial scheduled in October that was delayed because of medical issues with defense attorney Gil Colon Jr. ...more

November 22, 2007

AVON PARK ? Shannon Peacock summed up in four words the reason small businesses may be hesitant about exporting their products: ?fear of the unknown.? Peacock?s fears were alleviated after he attended an exporting workshop earlier this month that was hosted by the Hardee County Economic Development Council, Hardee County Chamber of Commerce, Florida?s Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative and the Florida Foreign Trade Association ?It was informative,? said Peacock, the plant manager for Bowsmith Irrigation Inc. in Avon Park. ?They laid everything out in a way that I could understand.? ...more

October 28, 2007